Hey, account guy, where’s your book?

Image by StreetFly JZ via Flickr Every creative in the business has a portfolio. It's our calling card, our proof of worth, and our stamp of identity all rolled into one. Resume? Why do people even have those when a book says so much more about your ability to work…

Award Shows. After all these years, I’m still conflicted.

Image by eschipul via Flickr Years ago, I used to get excited when the latest CA Annual was coming out so I could see what great work was happening at other agencies and what to aspire to next year. Over the years, the excitement of award season has faded but…

Top 10 signs you’re a douchey agency type?

Image by Tacit Requiem via Flickr Now more than ever, we agency professionals cannot afford to have cliche' agency jerks among our ranks. There's enough tension with clients and providers thanks to the economic hardships. So please, if you recognize any of these behaviors as something you or your colleagues…

Managing the noise. What to do about Twitter overload.

Image via Wikipedia So you have already drunk the Twitter Koolaide. You've been tweeting awhile and now you have a few hundred followers and are following more people than you can keep track of using Twitter.com on your browser. And you're beginning to feel that you're probably not getting all…

Give yourself a holiday bonus

It's been a difficult year in advertising and marketing to say the least. The worst in my memory. And the memory of everyone I've talked to - even the old timers. Signs point to a recovery in the spring for most businesses but the agency business is always quicker to…

White elephants, advertising, and interactive and social media marketing

[caption id="attachment_319" align="alignleft" width="392" caption="Are you prepared for the risk?"][/caption] Today we're doing our annual white elephant gift exchange. It can be a blast if you end up with a nice bottle of wine or an iTunes gift card. However, the unlucky end up with garden gnomes and REO Speedwagon…

Hey flash people, it’s a mobile world

I'm just about over Flash forever. I once heard flash refered to as it as the "flashy gold chain of the internet." I tend to agree – especially when it's used for a site intro. But I am guilty of using it on sites in the past, some of which…

Fast enough is the new good enough

[caption id="attachment_295" align="alignleft" width="203" caption="Pick two and only two sides"][/caption] Today fast enough is the new good enough. Fortunately, this will change and clients will start by asking for quality again, in addition to cheap and fast. The cyclical nature of business will cause them to demand memorable and even…

Loose you inhibitions

My 3 year old had a ballet recital this weekend. It was awesome. 20 little girls just throwing it all out there for the sheer joy of doing something they enjoy. Big smiles on their faces and having the time of their short lives. Ballet is new to them and…

Is content the future of advertising?

Image by neonihil via Flickr I'm writing this from the set. I'm a day and a half into the production of a series of informational videos for a B2B client. Trust me, if you're not in the automotive wholesale remarketing business, you probably won't ever want to see them. And…